Chapter 3: Under the guise of serenity
"…..estimates suggest the damage is worth a few billions in pounds" the TV in the living room was blaring loudly prompting Kevin to decrease the volume. Kevin reclined upon the living room sofa. Due to the earthquake that hit yesterday school was off for a few days.
"Seismologists are baffled by this sudden quake as they struggle to locate the epicenter" the screen showed brief flashes of the condition London was in after the quake. One image showed slabs of broken building lying across the ground, another showed wrecked cars and paramedics working alongside firefighters in order to save people from their sanctuary turned prisons. Rubble had never been as terrifying as it was last night. He thought of how he and Gina could have been buried alive in that similar rubble provided their bones weren't crushed. He thought of the rubble under which Viperdramon was trapped under. He thought of the rubble from which Saladramon rose and brought death upon Deltamon.
Kevin didn't think much of the earthquake after what he had seen unfold last night. It was also for that reason that he felt a strong sense of uneasiness within his chest.
Primary Digital Matrix Set
Designation: Saladramon
Code: ADLT1378
Digital Evolution Process… INITIATE
He recalled those words that flashed up as an answer to his wish. It was those words, spoken like a magician's command that caused Viperdramon to undergo the transformation into the vicious Saladramon. Although Saladramon had came out the victor, Kevin thought of the cost of that victory.
The image of buildings crumbling remained carved into his mind. He could recall perfectly how the two Digimon tore through the manmade structures like a hot knife through butter. He could replay the deafening sound of crumbling architecture that permeated the night air during their battle. He clung onto hope that the inhabitants of those buildings which fell had followed earthquake precautions and evacuated their homes and went somewhere safe- anything that allowed them to be spared from such an unlikely demise.
Primary Digital Matrix Set
Designation: Saladramon
Code: ADLT1378
Digital Evolution Process… INITIATE
The mechanical voice echoed inside his skull cavity. His wish and his cries had been answered. Did he bring about this destruction? Did a selfish wish like this cause lives to be lost to a fight that no one had anything to do with?
The TV still showed images of the after effects of the quake. The shot showed the remains of a tall building. Kevin's mind instantly thought back to the fight that unfolded last night. Was this building brought down by Saladramon? Were people injured or killed because of him?
"Don't torture yourself" Gina's hand on her brother's shoulder broke his thinking. Gina had woke him up from such situations many times last night.
"I'm not" Kevin lied.
"It's not your fault" Gina reassured him in between taking bites off her toast. "If Viperdramon hadn't done what he did, this would look a lot worse than now."
She had a point. Though there were 6 other Digimon besides Viperdramon, he was the only one on the scene at that time. Had his initial plan of wearing Deltamon out using his poison attacks still succeeded, the long drawn out fight would have easily caused more destruction to the city with Deltamon flailing its massive body in order to get a hit on Viperdramon.
"Still….." Kevin insisted on himself being guilty. "Things could have been different".
"Half of London would have been testament to the strength of this copy cat King Ghidorah" the reply was blunt. Blunt but effective nonetheless. Gina possessed a deep insight which Kevin was thankful for now more than ever.
"Did anyone tell you that a tiger has more tact than you?" Kevin smiled having somewhat gotten rid of the guilt.
"Oh my" Gina feigned surprise, "you'd be the first one".
"Ya know" Kevin thought back to the day they had first met Viperdramon- in particular to the moment when their partnership had been settled. "I think it should have been you instead of me".
Gina somewhat had an idea of what Kevin was implying by that but she still wanted to be sure.
"I think you should have been Viperdramon's partner. Not me." Kevin felt a bit sad about the idea.
"No, I shouldn't have" Gina's answer came swift which momentarily confused Kevin. "Strength of mind and strength of heart are not always the same. What you did that night, rushing to Viperdramon's aid- that came from your heart. I don't know how the digivice works but based on what I saw yesterday it works based on your emotions. You're heart shined through that moment."
Kevin thought for awhile. At that moment last night he could only think of how it would have felt to lose his Digimon. He had always tried his level best to keep up his loner façade but at that moment when faced with the possibility of loss he had forgotten all about it.
"Thinking you're guilty and knowing you're guilty are two different things" Gina concluded. "I don't think I could have done what you did yesterday."
Kevin laughed. He knew Gina was not trying to cheer him up. No she hardly does that. She just speaks her mind- something he was grateful for. "How are we related again?" He joked.
"I ask myself that question all the time" Gina replied sporting a smirk.
The two broke into laughter at that.
"C'mon, hurry up. Breakfast's almost ready" the girl beckoned her brother to join her in the dinner table. Kevin followed with a declaration of "I'm hungry".
As they proceeded to have their breakfast Gina inquired about the whereabouts of Viperdramon.
"I wouldn't worry" Kevin replied. "He's tough and smart".
"Tough like you and smart like me, huh?" Gina thought.
-xxxx-
Seeing the destruction being reported by a newscaster on a TV screen and seeing it up close were two entirely different things as Eric found out. He had decided to take a walk around the city just to see how bad it was. He had seen such scenes in TV but when up close he came to understand how powerful and unpredictable a disaster could truly be. Humans still had a long way to go in this regard.
He saw some paramedics carry some of the injured away on stretchers. He didn't feel anything regarding that. While some people may think of him as heartless, he wasn't the type to cry upon seeing things like these unfold. He hardly knew any of them. Why would he cry for them? It was natural. It was reality. Not everyone would remain unscathed after something like this. If he cried for every unknown death he would be no better off than widows refusing to both live her life or re marry.
"No one really saw this coming. No wonder it did this much." It was true; London hardly experienced earthquakes of this magnitude. Almost all the quakes that do hit London are barely noticed. This had led, he thought, to a city built on the safety of ignorance. This had led to what he saw before him. Ignorance promises safety and yet offers nothing worthy in return when the time comes. Though what was done was done. Everyone should have now focus on rebuilding and repairing the city and rescue anyone who could be rescued.
He adjusted his sky blue shirt- a habit of his. He sported khaki pants and didn't have his spectacles on which forced him to squint his eyes at times to get a proper view. Staring at a laptop screen in a poorly lit room was a fast way to damage your eyesight. "I'm almost a liability without my glasses" the boy thought.
"Can you tell who I am without your glasses?" Eric turned slowly. He might have been half-blind but that didn't mean he couldn't hear.
"Jules Verde, beautiful girl of age 17 who is head over heels for a certain boy with blonde-"
"Forget I asked" the brunette came to regret even asking that question. It was hard to get a scare on Eric. Stoic was the perfect word to describe him, after all. He was hardly fazed and was smart enough to turn any situation around into his favour.
"I hope you are satisfied, Miss Verde" Eric replied mockingly.
"How could I not be Mr. Sassy Pants" Julia replied in an equally if not more mocking tone. She was sporting a yellow sundress that left her shoulders bare and blue jeans.
"Taking a walk around, I suppose?" At the question Julia grew silent. Like Eric, the purpose of the walk was to see the after effects first hand.
"It's horrible" Julia finally found something to say.
"It's reality" Eric thought but didn't say anything. He didn't want to anger her.
"This destruction, it feels so unreal" the girl felt torn up inside. Was it because she was uninjured and alive while others would have killed to be in her place?
"It's every bit as real as you and me" the boy thought. He kept on looking at the girl. Eric knew that Julia was strong. She would lament but she would always find a way to get over it.
"There's no use crying about it, is there Eric?" Julia looked into Eric's eyes. "It won't save anyone. Tears never can."
Tears never can…. Those were haunting words. Eric knew the truth behind it very well. So did Julia. They had experienced it firsthand after all. It was what connected both of them.
"I know I might sound like an ass, but how about we walk together. Maybe we can get something to eat later on?"Eric thought it would have been better to resume the purpose of this outing rather than lose himself in bitter memories.
It was a bit selfish but Julia still wanted to go with it. "Okay" she smiled, "let's go".
"Scratch that. I should have walked alone" Eric contemplated his decision.
Walking together with a girl and both of them not even looking at each other-forget saying anything- was a bit of a weird experience. "At least Hiran aint here" that was the last person he wanted to see him in this situation. If he did, Eric thought of the worst case scenario, Hiran would come up with some nicknames that would make school life unbearable.
It wasn't because Julia was a girl. Like Noel, Eric wasn't one for chit chat. He didn't know how to lengthen a conversation. While Noel and him did have lengthy discussions from time to time, it was different. It was usually based around a single topic and not like "Oh hi, how are you? Did you see the earthquake yesterday? Of course you did. I had toast for breakfast". That kind of stuff was annoying.
At the end they decided to take a break at a nearby park.
"Everything cool at home?" Eric had enough of this silence.
"Huh? Oh yeah, still the same" Julia decided to sit near the fountain, "mom still acts like a ghost, these days. Dad decided to hire someone to help do the household chores when I'm at school."
Eric averted his gaze.
"Wish she would go back to being herself" Julia muttered, "what about you?"
"Are we only connected by the pain of loss?" Eric thought solemnly. "The usual" and Julia nodded at the answer.
"So is Hiran's game still on?" the boy changed the subject.
"Dunno" came the confused reply, "forgot to ask him".
"I was personally looking forward to see Hiran get his cocky self handed to him. I heard Kevin Louis was in the opposing team. He's a mad striker".
"Is that so?" Eric knew Julia was feigning interest.
"Is Noel going?" Eric asked a question he very well knew the answer to.
"Doubt it" Julia was staring at the cloudless sky. It seemed that the quake had driven out the clouds. "Depressed individuals have an aversion to activity" she replied still staring at the sky.
"It's been a year and a half"
"An agonizing year and a half for him" Julia noted. "His father meant the world to him after all. When he passed away, all Noel and his mom got was a letter addressed by the military".
"Still…."
"It's not easy. We both should know better".
It won't save anyone. Tears never can…. The words rang in his head. He remembered the tears he shed on the hospital bed where his mother died. How useless they wore. The pulse was dropping as fast as the tears and then she was gone.
"It's okay. I'll be fine. This sickness is nothing" she said. What a load of crap that was. She could have just told her son the truth. She could have just told him that she would die. Then he wouldn't had gotten his hopes up and made her passing all the more painful and the tears even more useless. He shouldn't have had ignored the signs-the facts. Her increasingly pale complexion, the coughs getting louder; they were all telling him the truth. Yet he chose to remain ignorance and ignorance brought nothing in return. It was lung cancer after all.
It was after that did Eric swear that he would never cry again. He did not want to be so useless, so weak and vulnerable. He had no use for them. There were no such things as miracles.
"I think that's what connects us" Julia thought back to their childhood. Eric nodded. It was true. "We understand each other a lot more than others could. I guess we are welded to an extent" a giggle followed the exchange. "We know each other a lot better because of this and that's what makes us such good friends in the end".
Hundreds of faceless people you call "friends" or a few people who accept you for who you are. The choice was obvious to both of them.
"Maybe, we should get a bite to eat" the girl suggested.
"There's a good café I know nearby" Eric helped Julia up and they made their way.
The café had few people in it. Eric helped Julia to a seat and she began to skim through the menu. While she was engaged in sorting through the names of several delicacies Eric took out his phone to check the time. A sudden cocking of his eyebrow had alerted the girl that something was wrong.
"Problem?" Julia inquired.
"Yeah" Eric grunted, "My phone's messed up". He hated it when any electronic device didn't work like he wanted it to. "I mean it's a bit old, but even then this is unexpected". The clock was reading 0 hours and 0 minutes and the screen started to flash and fade.
"A virus?" Julia suggested to which Eric disagreed. "Doubt it. I'm kinda careful about things like that so I don't think that's the case."
Eric was a bit alerted when the other customers started reporting the same problem. He dismissed and decided to go through the menu too.
-xxxx-
From a dark alley, Viperdramon, who covered himself with a ragged brown cloth, observed the daily activities of humans. He thought back to last night as to how he had changed forms. For him it wasn't just a temporary increase in power. It was proof that Kevin was indeed a right choice. It was proof that they understood each other better now.
He glanced at the destruction. Last night when he was stuck under the rubble he really wasn't bothered as much. If he had met his end, then he would have simply not woken up. It was Kevin's cries of anguish that anchored him and brought him back to the shore of consciousness and to the plane of victory. He recalled his feelings as Saladramon. He thought of how narrow minded he was in that form. He attacked with reckless abandon and was toying with his prey instead of finishing him off. He could have deleted Deltamon in the first attack and yet only decided to blast his arm off. It was only when he saw Kevin did he regain control over his primal instincts.
He was not bothered by the mess of the city. He was bothered by his lack of control. He could easily top Deltamon in terms of destructive power. He could easily raze this city to the ground.
Viperdramon growled softly. There it was again- his lack of control. His viral nature took over his senses at that moment like it did during that fight. Digimon had attributes like Data, Vaccine and Virus. He was off the Virus attribute. Like it suggested he was made to destroy. He took pride in his form that was designed not to just fight but to kill. Yet he was not foolish enough to lose himself in his pride. When his viral instinct had kicked in during his battle he did not feel any pain. It was only today when he had control of himself did he feel the brunt of all those blows. He thought of how dangerous it would have been to lose control in a future fight with his teammates. Although his instincts render him immune to pain, it also clouded his judgement. He couldn't distinguish foe or friend.
Amongst the other 6 the only Virus attribute Digimon was Astralmon who was not really the type to share your troubles with. Then again, this fight was his to win. He had to quell his inner turmoil.
He looked at the two people sitting at a table at a nearby café. The two looked like they were enjoying themselves. Viperdramon shifted his eyes up. He saw the black ominous shade looming at the top of a building. The sun had made it hard to identify which Digimon it was. The virus dragon readied himself just in case the shadow decided to do anything unfavourable.
"I really wouldn't recommend doing that" Viperdramon turned around as fast as he could, claws ready to tear into the enemy that decided to mess with him.
"Woah there" Viperdramon had calmed down upon identifying the attacker. Said being had a human like body structure and wore a grey horned helmet. Its body looked like it was made out of some strange blue liquid and the wires were visible inside its body with some jutting out from its helmet.
"Oh it's you, Astralmon" Viperdramon returned to his normal stance.
"Yes, it is. Nice to see you" the Digimon's mouth didn't move when it talked. "Like I was saying, it's not a good idea to go after Wendigomon. No one wants to see Saladramon destroy even more of the city and in broad daylight at that."
"So what do you suggest?" Viperdramon tried to hide his resentment at that comment.
"Nothing. For now. We should only act when they do. For now there's a more active Digimon lurking around. I'll take care of that."
"What about your partner?"
"He's capable" Astralmon replied. "We all will meet soon enough. The end is slowly approaching. We both can feel it".
Viperdramon knew what he was talking about and so left. Astralmon did the same thing.
-xxxx-
"Thanks for the food" Julia was walking with Eric until the path diverged.
"No prob, always glad" Eric bid the girl farewell as he walked back home.
He opened the door to his house with a spare key. He wanted to shout that he was home but who would be there to receive him. He felt sad for a brief moment before discarding it as a dumb thought. No one was here anyways.
He rushed to his room and turned on his laptop.
"All right, Astralmon" Eric adjusted his glasses, "time to get to work".